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At the Charleroi Locks and Dam, the Army Corps of Engineers had to use braces to keep one lock from collapsing.

That lock is now being replaced, but it is unclear whether there will be enough money to finish that project and to start an even bigger one.

“We're in year 22 of a 10-year project, so it's been a very long time,” said Mary Anne Bucci, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh.

The Charleroi project and others moved forward when barge companies agreed to increase their user fees by 45 percent.

“I thought I'd never see such an idea, but it happened,” Casey said.

Still, only one of the two Charleroi locks is being replaced, and the project is nearly a decade from completion.

An even bigger project -- the $2.3 billion replacement of three locks on the Ohio River -- has not even started.

Earlier this year, Action News Investigates found deep cracks inside one of those locks -- Montgomery. The Army Corps says there's a 50-50 chance the lock wall could fail in the next 12 years, bringing river traffic to a grinding halt.

“We're way behind modernizing the inland waterway transportation system, but yet 615 million tons of commerce move on this system every year,” said Michael Toohey, president of the Waterways Council.

Casey said it's critical that Congress find the money to start the Ohio River project and finish Charleroi.

“I want to make sure we finish the job, get the appropriations we need every year,” Casey said.

It will take another $500 million to finish the Charleroi project, which is estimated to be done by 2023.